Few DeSoto absentee ballots cast for Tuesday runoff election

DeSoto County election officials said Monday they only received 58 absentee ballots for Tuesday's runoff election, most likely indicating the kind of low turnout that characterizes runoffs.

Polls will be open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at 22 precincts — fewer than the normal 38 — for those casting ballots in the District 19 state Senate race and the District 52 state House race. Anyone unsure about where to vote should consult their voter registration card or, if still unclear, call the DeSoto County Circuit Clerk's office at 662-429-1325, said Deputy Circuit Clerk Marla Treadway.

Other areas throughout Mississippi will hold runoffs Tuesday as well to settle contests in which no candidate received more than 50 percent of the vote in the Nov. 6 general election. Pamela Weaver, spokeswoman for Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann, said the office would not predict turnout for the 17 runoffs scheduled statewide.

In DeSoto County, the two races on Tuesday's ballots were actually part of a special election held in conjunction with the general election, which resulted in no runoffs. In the special election, Olive Branch optometrist David Parker finished first in the four-way Senate race and faces second-place finisher Pat Nelson, and Bill Kinkade finished first in the three-candidate House race and will face Jeremy Bryan.

On Nov. 6, nearly 70 percent of registered DeSoto County voters cast ballots but runoffs typically produce a far lighter turnout. Absentee ballots — cast by the elderly, sick or those who will be out of town — totaled about 5,600 for Nov. 6 balloting.

Nelson, one of the candidates in the Senate race, said he expects Tuesday's turnout to be largely older voters. He noted that the 70- to 75-year-old age range is typically one of the strongest voting blocks for runoffs.

"We feel really good," Nelson, currently a state House member, said of his chances in the Senate contest. "We think we'll do well with that demographic."

Nelson said his workers spent the final day of campaigning Monday working phones because of the rain.

"We've also knocked on a lot of doors," he said.

Parker, who finished first on Nov. 6 by about a 2,000-vote margin over Nelson, said he thought he had done a good job of energizing his base for the runoff as well as gaining the support from many who had backed third-place finisher Kevin Blackwell earlier. Blackwell, the DeSoto County Republican party chairman, finished narrowly behind Nelson.

Parker said the only negative aspect he had seen to a generally positive campaign was a letter suggesting he was opposed to Second Amendment gun rights, when he actually has an A rating from the National Rifle Association.

Parker and Nelson, both Republicans in the nonpartisan race, are seeking to fill the remaining three years of Merle Flowers' four-year term. Flowers, an Olive Branch Republican, resigned earlier this year to spend more time with his family.

The District 19 seat covers Southaven and Olive Branch.

The District 52 House seat is mostly in neighboring Marshall County but includes a portion of DeSoto County. The winner in that race will fill the remaining three years of former state Rep. Tommy Woods' term. Woods, a Republican from Byhalia, retired.